device: change Peer.endpoint locking to reduce contention

Access to Peer.endpoint was previously synchronized by Peer.RWMutex.
This has now moved to Peer.endpoint.Mutex. Peer.SendBuffers() is now the
sole caller of Endpoint.ClearSrc(), which is signaled via a new bool,
Peer.endpoint.clearSrcOnTx. Previous Callers of Endpoint.ClearSrc() now
set this bool, primarily via peer.markEndpointSrcForClearing().
Peer.SetEndpointFromPacket() clears Peer.endpoint.clearSrcOnTx when an
updated conn.Endpoint is stored. This maintains the same event order as
before, i.e. a conn.Endpoint received after peer.endpoint.clearSrcOnTx
is set, but before the next Peer.SendBuffers() call results in the
latest conn.Endpoint source being used for the next packet transmission.

These changes result in throughput improvements for single flow,
parallel (-P n) flow, and bidirectional (--bidir) flow iperf3 TCP/UDP
tests as measured on both Linux and Windows. Latency under load improves
especially for high throughput Linux scenarios. These improvements are
likely realized on all platforms to some degree, as the changes are not
platform-specific.

Co-authored-by: James Tucker <james@tailscale.com>
Signed-off-by: James Tucker <james@tailscale.com>
Signed-off-by: Jordan Whited <jordan@tailscale.com>
Signed-off-by: Jason A. Donenfeld <Jason@zx2c4.com>

device/device.go

@@ -461,11 +461,7 @@ func (device *Device) BindSetMark(mark uint32) error {
 	// clear cached source addresses
 	device.peers.RLock()
 	for _, peer := range device.peers.keyMap {
-		peer.Lock()
+		peer.markEndpointSrcForClearing()
-		defer peer.Unlock()
-		if peer.endpoint != nil {
-			peer.endpoint.ClearSrc()
-		}
 	}
 	device.peers.RUnlock()
 
@@ -515,11 +511,7 @@ func (device *Device) BindUpdate() error {
 	// clear cached source addresses
 	device.peers.RLock()
 	for _, peer := range device.peers.keyMap {
-		peer.Lock()
+		peer.markEndpointSrcForClearing()
-		defer peer.Unlock()
-		if peer.endpoint != nil {
-			peer.endpoint.ClearSrc()
-		}
 	}
 	device.peers.RUnlock()
 

device/mobilequirks.go

@@ -11,9 +11,9 @@ func (device *Device) DisableSomeRoamingForBrokenMobileSemantics() {
 	device.net.brokenRoaming = true
 	device.peers.RLock()
 	for _, peer := range device.peers.keyMap {
-		peer.Lock()
+		peer.endpoint.Lock()
-		peer.disableRoaming = peer.endpoint != nil
+		peer.endpoint.disableRoaming = peer.endpoint.val != nil
-		peer.Unlock()
+		peer.endpoint.Unlock()
 	}
 	device.peers.RUnlock()
 }

device/peer.go

@@ -17,17 +17,20 @@ import (
 
 type Peer struct {
 	isRunning         atomic.Bool
-	sync.RWMutex      // Mostly protects endpoint, but is generally taken whenever we modify peer
 	keypairs          Keypairs
 	handshake         Handshake
 	device            *Device
-	endpoint          conn.Endpoint
 	stopping          sync.WaitGroup // routines pending stop
 	txBytes           atomic.Uint64  // bytes send to peer (endpoint)
 	rxBytes           atomic.Uint64  // bytes received from peer
 	lastHandshakeNano atomic.Int64   // nano seconds since epoch
 
-	disableRoaming bool
+	endpoint struct {
+		sync.Mutex
+		val            conn.Endpoint
+		clearSrcOnTx   bool // signal to val.ClearSrc() prior to next packet transmission
+		disableRoaming bool
+	}
 
 	timers struct {
 		retransmitHandshake     *Timer
@@ -74,8 +77,6 @@ func (device *Device) NewPeer(pk NoisePublicKey) (*Peer, error) {
 
 	// create peer
 	peer := new(Peer)
-	peer.Lock()
-	defer peer.Unlock()
 
 	peer.cookieGenerator.Init(pk)
 	peer.device = device
@@ -97,7 +98,11 @@ func (device *Device) NewPeer(pk NoisePublicKey) (*Peer, error) {
 	handshake.mutex.Unlock()
 
 	// reset endpoint
-	peer.endpoint = nil
+	peer.endpoint.Lock()
+	peer.endpoint.val = nil
+	peer.endpoint.disableRoaming = false
+	peer.endpoint.clearSrcOnTx = false
+	peer.endpoint.Unlock()
 
 	// init timers
 	peer.timersInit()
@@ -116,14 +121,19 @@ func (peer *Peer) SendBuffers(buffers [][]byte) error {
 		return nil
 	}
 
-	peer.RLock()
+	peer.endpoint.Lock()
-	defer peer.RUnlock()
+	endpoint := peer.endpoint.val
-
+	if endpoint == nil {
-	if peer.endpoint == nil {
+		peer.endpoint.Unlock()
 		return errors.New("no known endpoint for peer")
 	}
+	if peer.endpoint.clearSrcOnTx {
+		endpoint.ClearSrc()
+		peer.endpoint.clearSrcOnTx = false
+	}
+	peer.endpoint.Unlock()
 
-	err := peer.device.net.bind.Send(buffers, peer.endpoint)
+	err := peer.device.net.bind.Send(buffers, endpoint)
 	if err == nil {
 		var totalLen uint64
 		for _, b := range buffers {
@@ -267,10 +277,20 @@ func (peer *Peer) Stop() {
 }
 
 func (peer *Peer) SetEndpointFromPacket(endpoint conn.Endpoint) {
-	if peer.disableRoaming {
+	peer.endpoint.Lock()
+	defer peer.endpoint.Unlock()
+	if peer.endpoint.disableRoaming {
 		return
 	}
-	peer.Lock()
+	peer.endpoint.clearSrcOnTx = false
-	peer.endpoint = endpoint
+	peer.endpoint.val = endpoint
-	peer.Unlock()
+}
+
+func (peer *Peer) markEndpointSrcForClearing() {
+	peer.endpoint.Lock()
+	defer peer.endpoint.Unlock()
+	if peer.endpoint.val == nil {
+		return
+	}
+	peer.endpoint.clearSrcOnTx = true
 }

device/sticky_linux.go

@@ -110,17 +110,17 @@ func (device *Device) routineRouteListener(bind conn.Bind, netlinkSock int, netl
 								if !ok {
 									break
 								}
-								pePtr.peer.Lock()
+								pePtr.peer.endpoint.Lock()
-								if &pePtr.peer.endpoint != pePtr.endpoint {
+								if &pePtr.peer.endpoint.val != pePtr.endpoint {
-									pePtr.peer.Unlock()
+									pePtr.peer.endpoint.Unlock()
 									break
 								}
-								if uint32(pePtr.peer.endpoint.(*conn.StdNetEndpoint).SrcIfidx()) == ifidx {
+								if uint32(pePtr.peer.endpoint.val.(*conn.StdNetEndpoint).SrcIfidx()) == ifidx {
-									pePtr.peer.Unlock()
+									pePtr.peer.endpoint.Unlock()
 									break
 								}
-								pePtr.peer.endpoint.(*conn.StdNetEndpoint).ClearSrc()
+								pePtr.peer.endpoint.clearSrcOnTx = true
-								pePtr.peer.Unlock()
+								pePtr.peer.endpoint.Unlock()
 							}
 							attr = attr[attrhdr.Len:]
 						}
@@ -134,18 +134,18 @@ func (device *Device) routineRouteListener(bind conn.Bind, netlinkSock int, netl
 					device.peers.RLock()
 					i := uint32(1)
 					for _, peer := range device.peers.keyMap {
-						peer.RLock()
+						peer.endpoint.Lock()
-						if peer.endpoint == nil {
+						if peer.endpoint.val == nil {
-							peer.RUnlock()
+							peer.endpoint.Unlock()
 							continue
 						}
-						nativeEP, _ := peer.endpoint.(*conn.StdNetEndpoint)
+						nativeEP, _ := peer.endpoint.val.(*conn.StdNetEndpoint)
 						if nativeEP == nil {
-							peer.RUnlock()
+							peer.endpoint.Unlock()
 							continue
 						}
 						if nativeEP.DstIP().Is6() || nativeEP.SrcIfidx() == 0 {
-							peer.RUnlock()
+							peer.endpoint.Unlock()
 							break
 						}
 						nlmsg := struct {
@@ -188,10 +188,10 @@ func (device *Device) routineRouteListener(bind conn.Bind, netlinkSock int, netl
 						reqPeerLock.Lock()
 						reqPeer[i] = peerEndpointPtr{
 							peer:     peer,
-							endpoint: &peer.endpoint,
+							endpoint: &peer.endpoint.val,
 						}
 						reqPeerLock.Unlock()
-						peer.RUnlock()
+						peer.endpoint.Unlock()
 						i++
 						_, err := netlinkCancel.Write((*[unsafe.Sizeof(nlmsg)]byte)(unsafe.Pointer(&nlmsg))[:])
 						if err != nil {

device/timers.go

@@ -100,11 +100,7 @@ func expiredRetransmitHandshake(peer *Peer) {
 		peer.device.log.Verbosef("%s - Handshake did not complete after %d seconds, retrying (try %d)", peer, int(RekeyTimeout.Seconds()), peer.timers.handshakeAttempts.Load()+1)
 
 		/* We clear the endpoint address src address, in case this is the cause of trouble. */
-		peer.Lock()
+		peer.markEndpointSrcForClearing()
-		if peer.endpoint != nil {
-			peer.endpoint.ClearSrc()
-		}
-		peer.Unlock()
 
 		peer.SendHandshakeInitiation(true)
 	}
@@ -123,11 +119,7 @@ func expiredSendKeepalive(peer *Peer) {
 func expiredNewHandshake(peer *Peer) {
 	peer.device.log.Verbosef("%s - Retrying handshake because we stopped hearing back after %d seconds", peer, int((KeepaliveTimeout + RekeyTimeout).Seconds()))
 	/* We clear the endpoint address src address, in case this is the cause of trouble. */
-	peer.Lock()
+	peer.markEndpointSrcForClearing()
-	if peer.endpoint != nil {
-		peer.endpoint.ClearSrc()
-	}
-	peer.Unlock()
 	peer.SendHandshakeInitiation(false)
 }
 

device/uapi.go

@@ -99,33 +99,31 @@ func (device *Device) IpcGetOperation(w io.Writer) error {
 
 		for _, peer := range device.peers.keyMap {
 			// Serialize peer state.
-			// Do the work in an anonymous function so that we can use defer.
+			peer.handshake.mutex.RLock()
-			func() {
+			keyf("public_key", (*[32]byte)(&peer.handshake.remoteStatic))
-				peer.RLock()
+			keyf("preshared_key", (*[32]byte)(&peer.handshake.presharedKey))
-				defer peer.RUnlock()
+			peer.handshake.mutex.RUnlock()
+			sendf("protocol_version=1")
+			peer.endpoint.Lock()
+			if peer.endpoint.val != nil {
+				sendf("endpoint=%s", peer.endpoint.val.DstToString())
+			}
+			peer.endpoint.Unlock()
 
-				keyf("public_key", (*[32]byte)(&peer.handshake.remoteStatic))
+			nano := peer.lastHandshakeNano.Load()
-				keyf("preshared_key", (*[32]byte)(&peer.handshake.presharedKey))
+			secs := nano / time.Second.Nanoseconds()
-				sendf("protocol_version=1")
+			nano %= time.Second.Nanoseconds()
-				if peer.endpoint != nil {
-					sendf("endpoint=%s", peer.endpoint.DstToString())
-				}
 
-				nano := peer.lastHandshakeNano.Load()
+			sendf("last_handshake_time_sec=%d", secs)
-				secs := nano / time.Second.Nanoseconds()
+			sendf("last_handshake_time_nsec=%d", nano)
-				nano %= time.Second.Nanoseconds()
+			sendf("tx_bytes=%d", peer.txBytes.Load())
+			sendf("rx_bytes=%d", peer.rxBytes.Load())
+			sendf("persistent_keepalive_interval=%d", peer.persistentKeepaliveInterval.Load())
 
-				sendf("last_handshake_time_sec=%d", secs)
+			device.allowedips.EntriesForPeer(peer, func(prefix netip.Prefix) bool {
-				sendf("last_handshake_time_nsec=%d", nano)
+				sendf("allowed_ip=%s", prefix.String())
-				sendf("tx_bytes=%d", peer.txBytes.Load())
+				return true
-				sendf("rx_bytes=%d", peer.rxBytes.Load())
+			})
-				sendf("persistent_keepalive_interval=%d", peer.persistentKeepaliveInterval.Load())
-
-				device.allowedips.EntriesForPeer(peer, func(prefix netip.Prefix) bool {
-					sendf("allowed_ip=%s", prefix.String())
-					return true
-				})
-			}()
 		}
 	}()
 
@@ -262,7 +260,7 @@ func (peer *ipcSetPeer) handlePostConfig() {
 		return
 	}
 	if peer.created {
-		peer.disableRoaming = peer.device.net.brokenRoaming && peer.endpoint != nil
+		peer.endpoint.disableRoaming = peer.device.net.brokenRoaming && peer.endpoint.val != nil
 	}
 	if peer.device.isUp() {
 		peer.Start()
@@ -345,9 +343,9 @@ func (device *Device) handlePeerLine(peer *ipcSetPeer, key, value string) error
 		if err != nil {
 			return ipcErrorf(ipc.IpcErrorInvalid, "failed to set endpoint %v: %w", value, err)
 		}
-		peer.Lock()
+		peer.endpoint.Lock()
-		defer peer.Unlock()
+		defer peer.endpoint.Unlock()
-		peer.endpoint = endpoint
+		peer.endpoint.val = endpoint
 
 	case "persistent_keepalive_interval":
 		device.log.Verbosef("%v - UAPI: Updating persistent keepalive interval", peer.Peer)